A lottery ticket sold in San Diego worth more than $170,000 has yet to be claimed.

The winning ticket was sold at Escape Snack Bar at 3360 32nd St. at Naval Base in San Diego on Sept. 14 last year.

Five of the six numbers matched the MEGA Millions ticket worth $170,827. The owner of the winning ticket only has one month left to turn in their ticket with numbers 40, 21, 51, 16 and 17, missing only the Mega number of 20.

The winner of the ticket is encouraged to check with the San Diego lottery office before March 13 for their prize. Unclaimed funds will be transferred to California schools.

For more information, visit the California Lottery website.

Did you think could text using a hands-free device, California drivers? That liberty may be short-lived if a proposed new law is approved.

Less than two months after a state law went into effect allowing motorists to compose text messages and emails by voice while on the road, a state legislator has proposed a bill to ban the practice.

So-called "voice-texting" allows users of some mobile devices to write text messages and emails by speaking aloud – without using their hands.

A law that went into effect Jan. 1 crafted an exception to the state's 2009 ban on texting-while-driving that allowed motorists to write messages with voice-operated technology of cell phones.

Now a bill introduced this week by Northern California Assemblyman Jim Frazier would reverse that Jan. 1 change.

"Who needs to do texting of any kind while driving?" Frazier said in a press release Wednesday, a day after he introduced Assembly Bill 313. "Is a text message really worth the risk of injuring or killing someone?"

Frazier cited a researcher's statements that there's little difference in the danger from communication via voice or text when driving, saying they both create "cognitive distraction that causes 'inattention blindness.'"

Last year, the legislature approved and Gov. Jerry Brown in July signed into law AB 1536, authored by Assemblyman Jeff Miller of Corona. The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, crafted an exemption the state's texting ban that allowed drivers to use devices designed to allow "voice-operated and hands-free operation to dictate, send, or listen to a text-based communication."

Miller's office told NBC News last year that the bill was written to apply to in-dash navigation and messaging systems but that the language had been left open to apply to other devices. (Miller ran unsuccessfully for state senate last fall.)

The National Safety Council in December called for that law's repeal last December, after learning that the law would soon go into effect.

"Safe driving requires a driver’s full attention -- hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and mind on the task of driving," said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the council, at the time. "There is no research or evidence that indicates voice-activated technologies eliminate or even reduce the distraction to the drivers’ mind. Unless such research becomes available, texting laws, such as California’s, should not be weakened by legalizing the use of voice-to-text technologies."

Frazier cited the road safety organization's support in his press release Wednesay.

Frazier's 11th Assembly District includes Vacaville, Fairfield and other areas between Sacramento and suburbs east of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Assembly Bill 313, which would amend the state vehicle code, was read for the first time Tuesday, and may be heard in committee on March 15.

Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor, widow of Jack-in-the-Box founder Robert O. Peterson, squandered away her fortune on a video poker habit, according to her personal attorney.

The revelation was made Thursday outside a federal courthouse in San Diego where O'Connor faces one charge of misusing millions from a charity set up by her late husband.

The former mayor's eyes filled with tears and she answered questions haltingly as she pleaded not guilty to a money laundering charge.

According to her attorney, O'Connor has had severe health problems for several years including a brain tumor which he blamed for a gambling habit.

The 66-year-old, whose estate was at one time worth $40 to $50 million on paper, spent every last dime she had gambling according to attorney Eugene Iredale.

Iredale said his client won and lost more than $1 billion in gambling winnings over a nine-year period of playing video poker in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and San Diego. 

They alleged that between Sept. 2008 and March 2009, O'Connor took more than $2,088,000 from the foundation.

"A sum of money which she intended to repay but was unable to repay,” Iredale said.

The money was earmarked for charitable purposes but was used for other purposes he said.

Prosecutors alleged O'Connor "deprived the Foundation of its remaining assets and left it completely bankrupt."

O'Connor's entrance into the federal courthouse Thursday morning was unsteady.

Using a cane and answering haltingly, O’Connor appeared as a hollow shell of what she once was.

She pleaded not guilty and was put on supervised pre-trial status.

Her medical condition is such that she will not be booked immediately. Because she is under medical care of a physician, she’ll be booked Friday.

She was granted two years of deferred prosecution.

O'Connor (pictured left in 2000) served as San Diego's mayor from 1986 to 1992. She also served on the San Diego City Council and the port commission.

O'Connor was married to Peterson from 1977 until his death in 1994.

After court, O’Connor spoke to members of the media - many who covered her during her tenure as mayor.

She explained how there are essentially two Maureens.

“Maureen #2 is the woman who did not know she had a tumor growing in her head, in her brain,” she said.

She used the word "borrowed" when she spoke of the $2 million she's accused of misusing and said it occurred during a difficult time in her life.

“Those of you who know me here would know that I never meant to hurt the city that I loved,” she said. 

The last few weeks for La Palma Police Chief Eric Nunez have been tense. He and his family endured 24-hour protection after being mentioned in Christopher Dorner's manifesto.

Though Dorner praised Nunez, the possibility that the fugitive ex-police officer would reach out to him amid the massive manhunt was ominous.

"My wife was obviously very worried,” Nunez said. “I tried to convince her that it is very unlikely that we would have any contact, but we did make a plan."

In an 11,400-word document published online, Dorner wrote this about Nunez: "You're just an awesome person and my first exposure to what law enforcement was really about."

Nunez said he was “reeling” trying to make sense of Dorner’s alleged rampage that left four dead, including two law enforcement officials and a newly engaged couple.

Nunez said Dorner was part of the department's police explorer volunteer program while at Kennedy High School and that he would visit once a year.

"The Chris Dorner that I knew back when he was an explorer here and going through college then going through the Navy wouldn't have done the horrendous acts that he did, would not have been the cold-blooded calculated murderer," Nunez said.

Nunez explained that he had not heard from Dorner for two years until a package was dropped off at his office on Jan. 23. It contained a note explaining that Dorner did not lie during the investigation that led to his dismissal from the LAPD and a video of one of the interrogations.

"I barely had some inclination that he had been terminated or that he was no longer with LAPD but I had no context of the nature of that investigation was or anything," Nunez said.

"I really didn't even know what this was actually about until I read the manifesto," he added.

He said he first read the manifesto when members of the Irvine Police Department arrived to his offices asking him about Dorner. Detectives were investigating the deaths of newly engaged couple Keith Lawrence and Monica Quan, the daughter of a former LAPD captain targeted in Dorner’s manifesto.

"It’s unfathomable. Even the first call that I got telling me that I was named in this manifesto and they wanted to talk to me about it and they told me who their suspect is, the Irvine Police Department, and my head is reeling because I am thinking how is that even possible?" Nunez said.

He turned over the package and its contents to the investigators.

Days after Nunez received the package, Dorner allegedly went on a shooting spree that killed Riverside police Officer Michael Crain. Nunez went to Crain’s funeral and, like the entire Southland law enforcement community, is now mourning the loss of two brothers.

San Bernandino Sheriff Detective Jeremiah MacKay was killed this week in a final gun battle with Dorner before the 33-year old ex-LAPD officer died in a burning cabin in which he barricaded himself.

Two other members of law enforcement were wounded.

But what sets Nunez apart is his connection to Dorner.

"Whatever relief you might feel was mode with deep sadness that came at the cost of another officer’s life," he said "Everybody that has been touched by this is trying to figure out what went wrong."

A San Diego Gas & Electric substation exploded into flames Thursday night near Bonita.

It's not yet clear if power could be affected by the fire at the substation in San Miguel Ranch.

The transformer is located near the State Route 125 and State Route 54.

A lot of people heard a blast around 11 p.m. Those calling 911 told officials they heard something like a huge explosion then flames erupted.

The fire lasted for almost five hours.

Heartland firefighters say blazes like this one are unusual.

It takes more to knock them down because they have to use foam instead of water.
 

Statistics suggest a disturbing trend in drug smuggling at San Diego's border with Mexico.

Meth is quickly becoming the drug of choice for Mexican cartels according to new research obtained by NBC 7 San Diego.

There’s currently a high demand for meth in the U.S.

"It's highly addictive,” said Jose Garcia, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations. “Some reports show that if you use it once you're already addicted."

Garcia is focused on stopping smugglers along San Diego County’s border with Mexico. It’s his team’s number one priority.

"Eighty percent of the meth consumed in the US is made and manufactured in Mexico," Garcia said.

According to these new statistics obtained by NBC 7 San Diego, there has been a dramatic increase in border meth seizures since 2008.

Marijuana has been the number one smuggled drug for years. However, in 2012, 642 seizures involved meth. That’s just 250 less than seizures involving marijuana.

Marijuana presents a big downside for cartels when it comes to smuggling.

"They have to smuggle large amounts to realize good profits," Garcia said.

With meth, the cartels don't have to smuggle a lot of it to make a big profit.

That's why many smugglers are pedestrians who tape a few kilos to their body.

And as NBC 7 San Diego reported a few months ago, an increasing number are teenagers.

"I can tell you that some of the kids that we arrested were getting paid as little as $200,” Garcia said.

That's why the risk is not worth the reward.

"The definition of a felony is a year and a day,” he said. “You could get way more than that depending on the quantity of the narcotics you were smuggling."

According to ICE investigators, the meth that does make it into San Diego is quickly taken to Los Angeles. From there, it is then transported all over the country.

The National Weather service has issued a high wind warning for San Diego County through 1 p.m. Friday. After the warning expires, a wind advisory will remain until 4 p.m. Saturday.

The strongest winds were expected Friday morning.

Residents in the coastal areas and inland valleys will notice an increase in wind gusts according to the NWS.

Areas like Alpine, Ramona, Santa Ysabel and Valley Center will feel it as well as people driving along State Route 78 in the North County and State Route 94 in the East County.
 

President Barack Obama will visit a Chicago high school Friday as part of a three-day tour to talk about the economy.

Obama plans to make remarks at Hyde Park Academy High School, on the city's South Side, about "strengthening the economy for the middle class and those striving to get there," the White House confirmed.

Based on planning notes from the White House, the president should speak between 2 and 4 p.m. ET.

Though Obama is expected to speak mostly about the economy, it's anticipated he also will touch on the gun violence that has put Chicago in national headlines for months.

Obama's visit to his hometown comes days after his State of the Union address, which featured the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor roll student who was shot and killed at a South Side park after school earlier this month.

The shooting occurred less than a mile from Obama's Chicago home, a point the president included in his annual address. Days before her death, Pendleton performed with the King College Prep band and drill team during some of Obama's inauguration events.

"In the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun," Obama said during his fifth State of the Union address.

"One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house," he said.

Two suspects have been arrested and charged in Pendleton's murder. Chicago police Supt. Garry McCarthy on Monday said 18-year-old Michael Ward confessed to being the shooter, telling police that Pendleton was not his intended target.

"In fact, the offenders had it all wrong," said McCarthy. "They thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. Instead, it was a group of upstanding and determined kids, who, like Hadiya, were repulsed by the gang lifestyle."

Dozens of residents were without water service Friday after two water main breaks occurred within hours of each other.

Flooding was first reported on Federal Boulevard, between 49th and 50th Streets.

Then, around 3 a.m., water crews were called to an area about two miles away when a pipe broke near Gibson Street and Plover Street.

Crews had to close Federal Boulevard to traffic because of the amount of water flooding the road.

Water service to dozens of customers was shut off around 8 a.m. and was not expected to be restored until 8 p.m.

How is February half-over already? Thanks to so many fun events in San Diego, time is flying.

Here's what to do in San Diego this weekend:

Friday, Feb. 15

Harlem Globetrotters
7 p.m. at Valley View Casino Center
Take the family to see some legendary basketball players. Tickets start at $45.

Saturday, Feb. 16

"Kissing Statue" Unveiled
10 a.m. at USS Midway Museum
Check out the new and improved "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture that will permanently adorn the bayfront by the former aircraft carrier.

Chinese New Year Food & Cultural Fair
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Gaslamp District
Enjoy more than 50 vendors and entertaining dancers at the 31st annual Chinese New Year celebration downtown. The event is free and open to the public.

Sunday, Feb. 17

San Diego Tet Festival
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mira Mesa Community Park
Celebrate the Vietnamese New Year at one of the largest parties in San Diego. The three-day festival kicks off on Friday and admission is free.

Taste of San Diego Craft Brews
5-9 p.m. at San Diego History Center in Balboa Park
Try some of San Diego's best brews in one place as the History Center gears up for its special beer exhibit. Tickets start at $45.

What are you doing this weekend? Tell us in the comments below.

Terrence Park took a deep breath and the UC Berkeley math and biostatics major came out on Thursday: As an undocumented immigrant.

The UC Berkeley math club president is a high-profile participant in Silicon Valley billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs's "Dream Is Now" campaign, which supports amnesty for undocumented immigrants going to school and otherwise working hard to fulfill the typical American Dream story, according to the Bay Area News Group. Powell Jobs is the widow of the late Steve Jobs.

Park said that he always tried to hide his undocumented status, but that coming out to "contribute" to the cause is "the least I can do," he told reporters.

In the video, Park, an "aspiring statistician," calculates that it costs $23,000 to deport an illegal immigrant, against $329 billion in tax revenue and other spending created by people like him if they are allowed to stay in the country, the newspaper reported.

Anyone can do that kind of math.

Park came to the country as a 10-year old with his mother and sister, both of whom entered the US on student visas and then stayed after they expired. They worked at supermarkets and laundromats in order to make ends meet, according to the newspaper.

People in the Ural Mountains region of Central Russia woke up Friday to a meteorite streaking across the sky, exploding with a brilliant blast of light and sending powerful shock waves that shattered windows, damaged a factory's roof and hurt hundreds.

The meteorite appeared to be the largest recorded object to hit the earth since 1908, an astronomer told Nature.

The event was caught on video by dozens of witnesses in Chelyabinsk who documented what appeared to be the meteorite's arrival in the lower atmosphere, lighting up the dawn, and leaving massive trails of smoke.

Then, as they gazed up in wonder, the blasts came—first one big one, then smaller ones. Glass smashed, car alarms began bleating, and people streamed out of buildings, trying to figure out what was going on.

Hundreds of people were reportedly hurt, most of them suffering minor injuries as a result of the breaking glass. The roof of a zinc factory was reportedly damaged, but did not collapse.

A sampling of purported footage of the event from YouTube:

In this video, taken from a camera inside a car, the driver listens to the radio when a flare appears on the horizon, then burns brighter as it zooms overhead.

This view shows the meteor brighten an otherwise calm, pre-dawn sky.

A driver documents the aftermath at a Zinc factory and the trail of smoke overhead.

From inside the building, a witness looks up at the trails of smoke, then the shocks rock the air, breaking the window.

A similar perspective, only from outside a building.

Another witness films the blasts and their aftermath and joins the evacuation of buildings.

Local news coverage describes "burning objects raining down from the sky." 

An amateur compilation of witness footage.

A dolphin was freed from fishing line off the coast of La Jolla on Friday morning, according to San Diego lifeguards.

Around 10 a.m. a small dolphin was entangled in fishing line one mile off the coast of Scripps Pier. SeaWorld's animal team and lifeguards took a boat out to the area to attempt to rescue the dolphin.

Aerial view of the dolphin showed it was swimming in an unusual pattern.

Check back for updates on this story.

The man who masterminded the bombing of San Diego's downtown federal courthouse in 2008, and tried to cover up crime, sentenced to 55 years in prison Friday.

Three pipe bombs detonated with enough force in May 2008 that the building's glass front doors were shattered and some of the 100 or so roofing nails packed inside shot six stories into the air.

In June 2011, a jury convicted Love on 10 charges, including the use of weapons of mass destruction.

"It is only by blind luck that no one, including Love’s coconspirator, Rachelle Carlock, was killed or injured by Love’s actions," United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy said in a written news release.

Love worked for the city's parks and water departments for nearly a decade but was fired in 2008 for missing too many workdays.

He masterminded the federal bombing plot in order to claim the reward money.

He instructed Carlock and Ella Louise Sanders to purchase explosive powder and to steal bomb-making materials. Prosecutors say Love and others constructed pipe bombs at his residence in Menifee in Riverside County.

According to testimony presented at trial, Carlock and Eric Reginald Robinson drove from Love's residence to San Diego with a backpack containing three pipe bombs.

Carlock then detonated the bombs. The explosion was captured on surveillance video.

After the bombing, Love met with FBI agents and offered to provide information in return for $75,000 in reward money, and help in dismissing two state court convictions for which he was facing six years in prison, prosecutors said.

Carlock, who placed the backpack outside the courthouse and detonated it, has been sentenced to 11 years.

Federal officials filed charges Friday against Jesse Jackson Jr. after the former congressman reportedly signed a plea deal for allegedly improperly spending hundreds of thousands in campaign funds.

The paperwork was filed at the U.S District Courthouse in Washington. Jackson, who left the public eye last summer for treatment of bi-polar disorder and resigned from office in November, is not expected to make an appearance, but he offered a response in his first statement to the public in months.

READ THE FULL INDICTMENT HERE.

“Over the course of my life I have come to realize that none of us are immune from our share of shortcomings and human frailties," Jackson said in the statement released by the attorneys representing him in the federal probe.

"Still I offer no excuses for my conduct and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made," he said. "To that end I want to offer my sincerest apologies to my family, my friends and all of my supporters for my errors in judgment and while my journey is not yet complete, it is my hope that I am remembered for the things that I did right.”

Among the items that Jackson is accused of purchasing with campaign funds: 

$10,000 worth of Bruce Lee Memorabilia. More than $20,000 in Michael Jackson memborabilia. Thousands on Martin Luther King Memorabilia. Fur coats and capes and more. 

Ward Room reported last week that Jackson will plead guilty as part of his plea deal, and jail time would be in the hands of a federal judge who has not yet been assigned. Converting campaign contributions for personal use is strictly prohibited by federal law and opens Jackson up to “not more than 5 years” in prison. 

Prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence for between 46 and 57 months plus fines, according to reports.

Jackson's wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, has also been charged with falsifying her tax returns and reporting less income than she made.

READ THE SANDI JACKSON INDICTMENT HERE.

Sandi Jackson has pleaded guilty to the tax offense, according to her attorney Tom Kirsch. The single charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 3 years, but Kirsh said the plea agreement calls for significantly less time. 

"Today, Sandi Jackson reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to plead guilty to one count of tax fraud," reads a statement from her attorneys. "Ms. Jackson has accepted responsibility for her conduct, is deeply sorry for her actions, and looks forward to putting this matter behind her and her family. She is thankful for the support of her family and friends during this very difficult time."

Per the reported plea deal for Jackson Jr., he must repay the government hundreds of thousands of dollars for items such as a $40,000 Rolex watch, travel expenses for a woman he described as a “social acquaintance” and furniture purchased for his home.

• Jesse Jackson Jr. Signs Plea Deal In Federal Probe
• Comparing the Jackson Families
• Candidates to Replace Jesse Jackson Jr.

Sandi Jackson resigned last month from her elected position as Chicago’s 7th Ward alderman. For years she received a $5,000 a month check from her husband as his political consultant.

Jackson Jr., the son of famous civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, has been the subject of a federal investigation into potential misuse of campaign funds since around the time he left office to seek medical treatment on June 10, 2012.

The 4,200 passengers who finally escaped the Carnival Triumph may be forgiven for never wanting to board another cruise ship again, after enduring days of raw sewage, relentless heat, and rotting food.

And if you’ve been thinking about booking your own cruise, you may be having a few second thoughts of your own. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a searchable tool which might help to calm your fears – or perhaps raise some new concerns.  As part of its Vessel Sanitation Program, the CDC posts all of its cruise ship inspections, which you can search by cruise ship -- or by an entire cruise line.  Click on Carnival in the “cruise lines” drop-down menu , for example, and you’ll find recent reports and scores for more than twenty of Carnival’s ships.  You can also review an individual ship to find details of its most recent inspection – or inspections dating back several years.

The most recent “Inspection Detail Report” for Carnival’s Triumph – the crippled liner now docked in Mobile, Ala. – is from July of 2012.  It contains reports and recommendations concerning the ship’s kitchen equipment; the hand-washing station in the children’s area; the swimming pool, and more.  Overall, the Triumph scored a 96 out of 100 points in its most recent inspection, according to the website. The CDC lists a score of 86 or higher as “Satisfactory.”

You can also use this search tool if you’re simply considering a cruise, to look for those ships which have the highest scores overall.  The website even features a "Ship Scored 100" link which takes you directly to those ships with a “perfect” score.

Or, if you’re so inclined, you can link directly to the ships that scored 85 or below, and read all about the ten ships listed there – including the cruise ship Amadea of the Phoenix Reissen Cruise Line, which currently possesses the CDC site’s lowest current overall score of 63.

La Mesa police arrested a man accused of raping a woman he met on a Christian online dating website.

Sean Banks, 37, of Del Mar has been known to use other aliases online including Rarity, Rylan, Rylan Butterwood and Rylan Harbough.

Banks is accused of raping a woman he met on the website Christianmingle.com officials said.

The woman told police after Banks arrived to her home in La Mesa, he was sexually aggressive toward her and ultimately raped her.

“This was the first time she met him face-to-face,” said La Mesa PD Officer Matt Nicholass.

He said that the woman felt comfortable with the individual coming to her house and it was only until he was inside the home that he became forceful.

The incident occurred in November 2012. Banks was arrested by La Mesa police on Feb. 11.

Banks was booked on a number of charges including rape by force, digital penetration by force and residential burglary.

When contacted by NBC 7 San Diego, the dating website said they have reached out to the La Mesa police department and are willing to assist in the investigation in any way they can.

"The safety and security of our members is of critical importance to us," said spokesperson Arielle Schechtman. "We take tremendous precautions to protect the safety and privacy of our community members."

She said the website has profile review experts who manually review all profile text and photos submitted by members.

"We have also developed several proprietary, automated tools to help identify questionable profiles and to eliminate fraudulent activity in our communities," she said.

Now detectives are asking for the public’s help. They are concerned Banks may have been using other names and may have more victims.

Banks has moved around the country so investigators are concerned there may be victims outside of San Diego County and perhaps California.

The suspect may have been working on other websites.

Anyone with information can call La Mesa Police at (619) 667-1400.